Perspectives of the family

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  • Created by: Najma2005
  • Created on: 04-01-23 09:22
Functionilists
Functionalists see the family as one of the essential building blocks for stable societies. They tend to to see the nuclear family as the ideal family for industrial societies and argue that it performs positive functions such as as socialising children a
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AO2
Murdoch argued that the nuclear family was universal and that it performed four essential functions: stabilising the sex drive, reproduction, socialisation of the young and economic production.
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A02
Parsons developed the Functional Fit Theory: In pre-industrial society families used to be extended, but with industrialisation families became nuclear because they fitted industrial society better.
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Criticisms of Murdoch
Murdock's ideas on the nuclear family have been criticised by many sociologists as being outdated and unrealistic. Feminist sociologists have criticised Murdock's ideas on gender roles and family functions, arguing that they generally disadvantage women.
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Criticisms of Parsons
It’s too ‘neat’ – social change doesn’t happen in such an orderly manner:
Laslett found that church records show only 10% of households contained extended kin before the industrial revolution. This suggests the family was already nuclear before industrial
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Criticisms
The Marxist-feminist Fran Ansley offers a different perspective on Parsons’ warm bath theory when she describes women in the family as takers of ****. By this she means that men coming home from work may have their stress relieved by the family, but only
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Feminist viewpoint
Feminists have been central in criticising gender roles associated with the traditional nuclear family, especially since the 1950s. They have argued the nuclear family has traditionally performed two key functions which oppressed women:
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Key functions that oppressed women
socialising girls to accept subservient roles within the family, whilst socialising boys to believe they were superior socialising women into accepting the “housewife” role as the only possible/acceptable role for a women.
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Marxist feminism
Marxist Feminism
Marxist feminists argue the main cause of women’s oppression in the family is not men, but capitalism. They argue that women’s oppression performs several functions for Capitalism
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Evaluation for Marxist Feminists
Table of Contents
Feminist Theory: A Summary for A-Le...

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Feminist Theory: A Summary for A-Level Sociology
Almost all feminists agree that gender is socially constructed. This means that gender roles are le
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AO2

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Murdoch argued that the nuclear family was universal and that it performed four essential functions: stabilising the sex drive, reproduction, socialisation of the young and economic production.

Card 3

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A02

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Card 4

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Criticisms of Murdoch

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Card 5

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Criticisms of Parsons

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